1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus having blur suppressing means to suppress an image blur caused by vibrations given thereon.
2. Related Background Art
Automatization is recently remarkable for photo-taking apparatuses such as still cameras and video cameras, so that cameras with automatic exposure and/or automatic focus adjusting mechanism are widely under practical use. Further, there are some practical techniques to provide a camera with a blur suppression or image stabilization function to suppress the image blur caused by vibrations of the entire apparatus.
An apparatus having such an image stabilizing function usually has at least vibration detecting means for detecting vibrations of the entire apparatus, blur suppressing means for suppressing the image blur caused by the vibrations, driving means for driving the blur suppressing means, and controlling means for calculating an amount of blur suppression in accordance with an output of the vibration detecting means to control the driving means.
The above vibration detecting means and driving means are generally comprised of a pitching detection system and a pitching drive system to conduct detection and suppression drive to vibrations in the pitching direction (which is a rotation direction about the horizontal axis), and of a yawing detection system and a yawing drive system to conduct detection and suppression drive to vibrations in the yawing direction (which is a rotation direction about the vertical axis), respectively. The above controlling means is comprised of a pitching control system to control a pitching drive operation to conduct a pitching suppression operation of the blur suppressing means in accordance with the detection signal of the pitching detection system and of a yawing control system to control a yawing drive operation to conduct a yawing suppression operation of the blur suppressing means in accordance with the detection signal of the yawing detecting means.
A device such as an angular acceleration meter, an angular velocity meter, and an angular displacement meter is employed as the above-mentioned vibration detecting means, and an element such as a variable apex angle prism is employed as the above-mentioned blur suppressing means.
The conventional image stabilizing apparatus as described, however, requires a set of control means for the exclusive use of each system to carry out either of the suppression operations about the corresponding axis, as apparent from the above description, which results in increase in the number of circuits and increase in production cost.